Vir Sanghvi – 29 March, 2014
https://virsanghvi.com/Article-Details.aspx?key=1044
Which brings us to my favorite restaurant in South Bombay: Soam in Babulnath. In many ways, this Gujarati snacks-and-street food place is one generation removed from Swati in Tardeo. I Still remember going to Swati as a child and waiting as they brought food to us in the car: batata puri,ragda pattice etc.
Swati is now an institution which means that it is packed out with tourists and first-timers. The people who used to go there - and their children •• have shifted instead to Soam which does the same sort of food but, at least in my view, now does it a lot better than Swati.
Soam started out as the Mahabaleshwar Fountain Hotel's fast food operation in Bombay and still does all the old Bombay Gujarati street food standards with aplomb: bhel, sev puri, dahi batata puri, ragda pattice etc. You won't find a better bhel at any restaurant in Bombay. But its current claim to fame is the skill with which it reproduces home-style Gujarati vegetarian snacks. I've rarely had better methi th+-*eplas (a Gujarati roti), better patra (rolled colocasia leaves), better puran poli (this, like shrikhand, is one of those Gujarati dishes that Maharashtra borrowed from us) more delicate kadhi, or more authentic vaghareli(fried) khichdi at any restaurant.
I've been there several times now, eating my way through the menu, and was only finally rumbled last week when the owner recognised me.Each time, service has been polite, efficient and gracious. On one occasion when my table broke three glasses (don't ask), they resolutely refused to accept any payment, saying that customers were their guests . Given that Soam is absurdly cheap for its prime South Bombay location (the theplas with a potato sabzi cost Rs. 190 and nothing costs much more than Rs 200), I Was impressed by their graciousness.
People are always asking me to name my favorite Bombay restaurant and Ialways give an evasive reply. But it is time to come clean. My favorite North Bombay place is the Ville Parle Gajalee. And in South Bombay, Soam wins by a very long way.
Kalyan Karmakar – 23 February 2016
https://www.indiafoodnetwork.in/food-stories/my-indian-restaurant-picks-in-mumbai/?infinitescroll=1
Mumbai is quite Popular for its Gujarati and Rajasthani thali joints. I am not a big fan of gujarati thalis but would strongly recommend the 11 year Soam, which is located opposite the 250 year old Babulnath Temple for some seriously good A La Carte vegetarian options in clean environs and air-conditioned comfort. try the gatte ki sabzi and satpadi roti, paratha, handvo and palak cheese samosa here.
Hindustan Times – 08 October, 2016
Kitchen manager at Soam, Prasad Samant says there is a lot of precision involved even in making a basic bowl of khichdi, that the restaurant is so famous for.
Thank him for: The Smooth vaghareli khichdi garnished with a dollop of ghee and fried spices at Soam, Babulnath
Serving the restaurant for the last eleven years is Samant, the man behind the delicious khichdi and famous jowar pita pocket."To everyone it might seem like making a khichdi is no big deal,but there is a lot of precision involved:' Even If one ingredient is missing or not up to the mark in quality, the entire dish has to be remade. "The ratio of rice to dal,the duration of cooking time, and of course the right garnishing makes all the difference;he says. Soam serves around 20 to 25 portions of each type of khichdi on weekdays.
What does he love the most about his job?•We usually have a heavy footfall during the second half of the evening and it is very stressful in the kitchen. But,it is then that Iget maximum job satisfaction.Being able to serve good quality food and on a deadline is challenging and fulfilling says Samant.
He also mentions that every time Soam bags a prize for its dishes,the kitchen staff is taken to the award ceremony,which is very motivating."The recipes might be the ones used in every household, but the skill and passion that goes into replicating it in a restaurant environment,daily with the same consistency,is to the credit of my enterprising kitchen team, says Pinky Dixit, owner of Soam.
The Bombay Glutton – 10 November, 2017
https://www.thebombayglutton.com/food-gyan/exploring-kathiawadi-food-with-soam-mumbai
EXPLORING KATHIYAWADI FOOD WITH SOAM, MUMBAI
LASANIYA RINGNA BATATA WITH CHOPDAS
As a person with a penchant for non-vegetarian preparations, there are very few places in the city whose vegetarian food is able to pleasure my meat-eating taste buds. Soam at Babulnath, Mumbai is one such restaurant!
I have savored Soam's fares with family and friends over the years. But, the special thing about the visit this time was the Kathiyawadi menu that the restaurant is showcasing. This was coupled with a very informative #TasteAndTalk session with APB Cook studio founder & Indian cuisine expert Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal to enlighten food enthusiasts like me present about nuances of Kathiyawadi food. Pinky Chandan Dixit, the affable owner of Soam too graced our session with her insights on Kathiyawadi food she has been relishing since her childhood days.
I had a wonderful experience learning about, tasting and experiencing Kathiyawadi food. If this cuisine leaves your taste buds salivating too then head to Soam right away.
Finely Chopped – Food blogger – 19 January, 2019
https://www.finelychopped.net/2017/01/dishes-that-make-gujaratis-smile-and.html
Dishes that make Gujaratis smile and say 'winter is coming'. Soam Restaurant's winter menu, Mumbai
Undhiyu at Soam
Note: I am not Gujarati so this is an outsider's point of view
Exploring my greener side
I don’t know whether I owe this to food blogging or to age, but over the years I’ve become more open to exploring vegetarian food and in the process have come across some stuff that I really like.
Do these dishes give the same pleasure as a good steak or grilled foie or a mutton roll would? Perhaps not. But, as I grow older, I find that vegetarian food taxes my digestion less and helps me stay light.
My favorite vegetarian restaurant in Mumbai
The one restaurant that I really like for vegetarian food in Mumbai is Soam which is located opposite the Babulnath temple in South Mumbai. They serve a variety of Gujarati dishes here.
Unlike the famous thali places of Mumbai, that serve a mix of Gujarati and Rajasthani vegetarian food with the odd spring roll and butter paneer thrown in, the fare at Soam is offered a la carte. I have never really taken to the thali format of eating where multiple tiny bowls are plonked in front of you and where refills are offered before you can catch your breath. I prefer to have fewer dishes on my table and don’t mind one dish meals actually. Which is why, though thalis have many loyalists, I rarely speak about thali joints myself.
I went to Soam recently with Seema and Amreen who run the Bombay Street Food restaurant in Toronto. They are Kathiawadi Memons and were keen to rekindle food memories of their ancestors which is why we went to Soam.
Soam has a winter menu on offer right now and I was keen to try that myself. Folks like Sangeeta Khanna have instilled the desire to eat seasonal in me and I am trying to do so to the extent possible.
United flavors of food
With the Bombay Street Food Team
We tried three dishes in Soam that Gujaratis apparently love in winter.
Undhiyu/ oondhiya
Undhiyu up close and personal
We had the most famous Gujarati winter dish of course, Undhiyu/ oondhiya. This is a slow cooked dish made with a number of winter vegetables such as purple yam, brinjal, plantains, unripe banana, peas and green beans and a dumpling called muthia (ingredients could vary). The final dish looks primarily green in color in the versions that I have eaten. Core to the flavor of the dish is the oil it is cooked in and spices infused into it. I am told that each part of Gujarat has its own version of undhiyu. The folks at Soam make the Surti version. They serve it with roti or pooris and some raita on the side.
The first time I had undhiyu was at the lunch buffet at the World Trade Centre in a Bombay Ad Club workshop in the early 2000s. Since K’s maternal side of the family are from Surat, we often get undhiyu for them. Usually from a shop called Regal Stores at Pali Naka. Gujaratis in Mumbai hold undhiyu and poori parties. I once had some made by Anaggh Desai’s wife for such a party.
I have found that the undhiyus that I have eaten have varying levels of sweetness (mildly sweet to not sweet at all) and consistency (some more oily than others). At Soam it has a prominent garlic after taste as the winter special green garlic is used in it.
I packed some undhiyu from Soam to take home for my mother in law, a former Soorti girl and an undhiyu lover herself though a Parsi. She was most excited by the fact that the Undhiyu tasted the same two days after I brought it home too as she prefers to savor it slowly.
I am not Gujarati and don’t have any childhood associations with undhiyu. However, it’s a big part of my Mumbai food discoveries and has become like comfort food for me.
Ponk
Ponk bhel. The green things are the ponk
Ponk, or millet kernels, is another winter speciality of Gujarat especially at Surat. I first heard about it in a TV show, Rocky and Mayur’s I think. Sounded like 'pork' which surprised me till I saw what it actually was! It’s called hurda/hoorda in Maharashtra and you get it in winter here as well I am told.
My mom in law says that she used to have ponk as a kid while growing up in Surat. She has memories of people peeling and separating the ponk kernels on the bank of the Tapi/ Tapti river. She went back to Surat recently and felt the river bank had shrunk! I wonder if this is truly so or whether this is a case of things appearing bigger when one was a child
Soam has been offering ponk from Surat on the menu for the last ten years or so. They have a variety of pink dishes on the menu right now. Bhajias, khichdi and as a bhel too.
The bhel is what we chose as we were pretty full from our Finely Chopped Mumbai food trail when we reached Soam. We felt that having it as a bhel (where the ponk was not cooked) was a good way of experiencing the true taste of ponk.
The ponk bhel turned out to be refreshing and light. The ponk didn’t seem to have a very distinct flavor. However it added a nice bite to the dish. A 'nutty texture' as I saw someone describe it somewhere on social media. Made for quite a pleasant dish even for someone like who had no prior ponk background or love.
Lasan na vagherla rotlu (green garlic rotis)
Lasan nu vagherla rotlu
The third dish that we tried from the Soam winter menu was lasan na vagherla rotlu which Seema got very excited about. It’s a Kathiyawadi dish Seema told me and something that her mother makes.
I thought it would be like a flat roti. However it is actually similar to a Rajasthani baati, of dal baati churma, explained Seema and is served crushed. The dish is made with millets which makes it pretty earthy and filling and you don’t have to eat too much of it to satisfy your hunger. It is flavored with green garlic which is a winter speciality, onions and ghee too. It is served with dahi and tastes delicious. Seema approved of the preparation at Soam and smiled widely.
The joy of rekindling childhood memories through food
Kathiawad is an arid region in Gujarat. Too many vegetables don’t grow there. However the locals have ‘turned poison into medicine’ and make some lovely vegetarian food with a mix of flours, lentils, chillies, garlic and onion and ghee.
The desire to eat well brings out the best in people.
Winter menu at Soam
So these are some Gujarati winter specialities that I have got to know over the years in Mumbai and learnt to like.
Do you have any favorites among these?
Does your community have any winter favorites? I would love to know about them if you do. As for me, I miss the fulkopir shingara (samosas stuffed with cauliflower and potato), which were a winter must from the sweet shops of Kolkata when I was a kid.
Mid-Day – 16 March,2022
https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/mumbai-food/article/soam-thing-tasty-23218614
Hugely popular Babulnath-based eatery opens a small shop alongside that stocks ready-to-eat fare, condiments and mithai. We suggest you drop by
Orange rasgulla with vanilla ice-cream
The tiny take-away and delivery outpost can be easy to miss, if not for its light green facade. A long queue of diners spills onto the road when we reach on a Sunday evening. It’s a good idea to head in, write down your name, and pop by the shop beside to idle away the waiting time. A friendly manager informs us that the store will complete a year in June, and that the goodies arrive fresh from their kitchen in Ghatkopar. Every corner is packed, and each item neatly labeled on the shelves. We eye at least two kinds of chakalis (multigrain and butter), a dozen different chips including beetroot, karela and nachni for the calorie-conscious, bhel, sev, chivda, bhakris, toasts and biscuits — multi-grain, and oats and honey for those watching their diet, mithais, pickles and chutneys, mukhwas, hummus, chocolate crisps, khakhras (moringa and peri peri called out to us), and lots more. While we find ourselves in a kid-in-a-candy-shop situation, thankfully, the manager guides us to the healthier varieties.
Coffee crackers
With Holi in mind, we load up a paper bag with gulab pak (Rs 225), green garlic and green chili papads (Rs 220), diet soya flax bhakarwadi (Rs 150), butter chakali (Rs 90), diet tasty kachori (Rs 160), coffee crackers (Rs 240), chatpata hummus (Rs 190), and Soam chutney (Rs 200). The quantity yields VFM — almost all the snacks on our list were in the 200-to-250-gm range — and the packaging is sturdy plastic; though we fervently hope to see an environmentally conscious packaging option soon. Before we leave, we’re informed that they deliver (directly and via aggregators) up to Mumbai Central, but if there’s a sizable order, they’ll deliver beyond.
Chef Massimo Battura at Soam – 17 April 2022
https://twitter.com/virsanghvi/status/1515683188496289792?lang=en
Travel Blogger – 29 July, 2022
https://socialmaharaj.com/2022/07/29/soam-restaurant-mumbai-review/
Snacks or Meals – Soam will not disappoint
The long queue of people waiting outside the hotel and the equally crowded place inside, Soam has earned the love and respect of Mumbaikers. The unsophisticated menu with the bare minimum items hit the right chords. I’m sure, the other items they serve are equally good. But since I was headed to other places for dinner, I couldn’t eat much here.
So if you are in Mumbai and are looking for an excellent place to try Gujarati food, Soam restaurant in Mumbai will not disappoint you. It’s priced decently and provides good value for your buck. That’s about it for my review of Soam restaurant
Khaane Main Kya Hai with Kunal Vijaykar – 6 August 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkX7JzJU954